Without Him
by only-some-loser
Summary: The mission still ended fine, but all missions without Jack just felt different. Even after it's over, Mac still needs to hear his partner's voice. (tag to 3x12, Fence Suitcase Americium-241)


**AN: Despite Jack's absence, I really liked this ep. This is my tag to Fence + Suitcase + Americium-241. I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review!**

* * *

Mac just stood there in disbelief as he was surrounded by the Russian police. Of course Charlotte double-crossed them. Really, they should have seen it coming. So of course, he couldn't defend himself against the Russians who surrounded him, screaming at him to do something, probably put his hands up - he didn't speak Russian. Since one hand was cuffed to the table, he couldn't exactly do that, but he raised the other up anyway. He gasped in pain as one of the Russians harshly grabbed his wrist with one large hand and kicked the back of his knees to force Mac to the ground. It contorted his arm to a weird angle, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Besides, his arm was quickly freed from the table and brought down to be cuffed back to the other. As soon as his hands were cuffed together, the Russian who pushed him to the ground gripped his hair and pulled his head back with a yank. Mac closed his eyes against the pain.

The man began shouting at him again, but Mac couldn't answer. Clearly, the Russian didn't like that, since he swung a fist into Mac's gut. He would've curled up against the pain if it hadn't been for the grip on his hair. The Russian repeated what he said, but Mac remained silent. He had no idea what the man was saying, and clearly, the Russian was noticing that Mac himself wasn't Russian. Mac didn't say anything at all. If they found out he was American, he could be thrown in a gulag for the rest of his life. It was better if they didn't know, and his American accent would give it away.

The Russian yanked him to his feet by the hair and pushed him forward. Two of the other men grabbed his arms and kept him between them. Mac couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face. If Jack had been there, and not at his cousin's wedding back in Texas, the man would have been shouting his head off, just to keep the attention off Mac. He'd be cracking jokes and making sure that no one was too rough with him. Mac used to think it was a little insulting, since he was an adult and he could handle himself when they got captured, but he quickly saw that it was because of how much Jack loved him, and his partner just wanted to protect him. Jack knew that Mac was young, and attractive, and that was often a recipe for suffering in the hands of those who were especially cruel. But if Jack could antagonize them enough, then they would usually forget about Mac, and focus on Jack instead. Jack always did whatever he could to keep him safe, and Mac could never repay him for that.

Mac was thrown into a small, windowless room. The cuffs were not taken off. The light was dim, but he was alone. Had Bozer and Riley been able to get away? Or were they in their own holding cells? Knowing how the Russians worked, none of them would be kept together. They would always be separated. Maybe it was for the best that Jack wasn't there, because it never went well when they were forcibly separated by the bad guys. Jack always went crazy with worry for him, and what could be done to him while Jack wasn't there to protect him. Mac didn't want to admit it, but he hated it when he they were separated too. Because of the way that Jack protected him, the bad guys sometimes thought that he would be the key to breaking them all. Those times were never fun. Those were the times that he still had nightmares about. Those were the times when most of Jack's worst fears for him were realized.

Mac shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think about those times. Now was the time to figure out what the next step was. The next immediate step was easy enough: get the cuffs off. Mac reached his arms as far down as he could, and carefully pulled his legs through to get the cuffs in front of him. With the boots he was wearing, it was a little difficult, but he managed it. Next came picking them. That was easy enough, he always kept a paper clip in his pocket for situations just like this. Pulling it out was easy, and picking the lock was easier.

Once the cuffs were off, Mac walked up to the door and put his ear against it. He could hear voices speaking in Russian on the other side. It sounded like they were on either side of the door. They were probably guards. Mac wasn't sure if he could take out two large Russian guards with large guns with only his SAK before they either raised the alarm or killed him.

Mac sat against the wall and thought of all his options, weighing the pros and cons of each. Luckily, he didn't actually have to wait that long. Soon enough, the door swung open, and the Russian motioned for him to leave. Cautiously, Mac walked out of the room, and down the hall. There were guards with guns everywhere, but none of them were stopping him. Mac picked up the pace a little bit, and got out of the building. He saw the van with Riley and Bozer sitting up front parked, and hopped in.

"What was that?" he asked them, sliding the door closed. Not for the first time that day, Mac wished that he spoke Russian. He was going to have to learn it soon.

"Matty pulled some strings as fast as she could, and got you out. She wasn't gonna wait for the official route while we have a WMD out there," Riley answered as she quickly drove the van away. They needed to get to the airstrip as quickly as possible.

"Jack is gonna be pissed he missed out on all this," Bozer said with a chuckle. He glanced at Mac, and gave him a once over. It was a very "Jack" thing to do, and it just made Mac miss his partner more. But maybe Jack had been telling Bozer to check him over as often as he did.

"He's in his favorite place, I'm sure he's happy." Texas was the number one place in Jack Dalton's world, so of course the man would be happy there.

"Yeah, but he's not with his favorite person. How much longer 'til we get to the airstrip?" Bozer changed topics so quickly that it almost gave Mac whiplash. Riley answered, but Mac wasn't paying attention. She and Bozer were engaged in some conversation, but Mac didn't feel like entering. He really did miss Jack.

* * *

Despite Mac's part in the prep, dinner was actually very good. He was a bit proud of himself, since cooking had for some reason been something he'd just never been able to get the hang of. If Jack had been there, Mac was sure the man would be making fun of him for it, but would be giving him a proud smile. The thought of Jack's absence brought a frown to Mac's face.

"What's wrong, blondie?" Matty asked, her smile quickly dropping into a face of concern. She set her wine glass down and gave Mac her full attention.

"Oh, it's nothing," Mac quickly replied, putting a fake smile on his face to ease their concerns. It wasn't working. Riley and Bozer were now also looking at him with worry. "Everything's fine, but I'll be back in a few minutes," he said. Mac stood up and walked back into the house. They weren't going to let him off the hook, so he would just have to make everything fine for real.

Mac pulled out his phone and hit Jack's contact. It was the first one on his favorites list, and also his emergency contact. It only rang once before Jack picked up.

"Hey, bud, what's up?" Jack greeted. He sounded happy, and maybe a little buzzed. It made Mac smile, even though he missed his partner like crazy.

"Nothing, I just wanted to call, see how things are." Mac could feel his throat constricting due to emotion, and cleared his throat. "So how's the wedding?" he asked, trying not to let Jack know how much he missed him. But, knowing Jack, the man already knew.

"It's been real nice, everyone looks real good. Her husband has a sister who's really hot and single, so I might have to go talk to her."

Mac couldn't help but laugh. That was so Jack. "Well, I don't want to keep you from that, so I'll let you go-"

"No, kid, you're all good. What's up with you? I know everything isn't all okay like you want me to think it is," Jack said, his voice dropping low. "What's wrong, kiddo?"

Mac sighed. "Nothing, Jack, it's just- I just miss you, and after last week, maybe I'm a little paranoid that something is gonna happen," he finished in a whisper. It had become increasingly apparent that their past always caught up with them, and they had made plenty of enemies throughout the years.

"If anyone should be paranoid, it should be me. You're the one who gets kidnapped all the time."

"But you're already paranoid about me all the time," Mac interjected with a smile. Jack wasn't wrong though, he did get kidnapped a lot.

"And for good reason." He could hear Jack take a deep breath.

"I cooked dinner for everyone tonight," Mac said before Jack could say anything else. He didn't want their conversation to be dominated by talking about their traumas. He just wanted to talk to his partner like normal.

"Oh, did ya?" Jack asked with a laugh. "And is the house still standing? Is the food at all edible? Did you have to tie them all down and force feed it to them?"

"No, Bozer helped me out a lot," Mac got out between laughs. "It actually turned out pretty good, and Bozer said so himself, so you know it has to be true. He won't lie about food."

"Aww, well then I'm proud of you, kid. I wish I could be there to taste it. I'm sure it's real good."

Mac could hear the pride bleeding through Jack's voice. It was enough to make him duck his head and blush, even though he knew Jack couldn't see him.

"You better save me some, 'cause I'll be back in two days," Jack added.

"I will, Jack. And thanks." He didn't like to admit it, but Jack's praise meant the world to him. He had lived his whole life trying to please a father who couldn't care less about him, but then there was Jack, who had no reason to love him like he did, and was always proud of him. At times, it still confused Mac, but he reveled in it. Jack meant everything to him. He had always been everything that James never was, and could never be. Mac missed him so much, but he would be back soon, and that was all that mattered. "I should really let you go now. I don't want you to miss any more of the reception, or miss talking to some beautiful woman," he said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, she's really somethin'. You should get back to the rest of the family anyway, they're probably gettin' worried about you."

"Yeah, maybe," Mac muttered, looking down.

"Hey, Mac?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, kiddo, and I miss you too," Jack said, his voice soft, and gentle, and everything that Mac needed.

"I love you too, Jack," Mac replied, his voice thick with emotion. "Have fun, and come back safe." He cleared his throat again.

"Of course, kid. I'll see ya in a few days, okay?" Even over the phone, Jack asked Mac if he was okay with him leaving. The thought sent another pang through his heart.

"Yeah, see you then."

Mac hung up, and took a deep breath. He would see Jack soon, and that was all that mattered. Mac pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against, and made his way back outside. Everyone turned to look at him the moment he walked out.

"Is everything okay?" Riley asked him.

"Yeah," Mac said with a smile - a real one this time. "Everything is fine."


End file.
